Office



UN TED. STATES .rrinhi PAI EN'lL MAHLON A. GERBER, OF LOSI GREEK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO ROBERT A. POTI, OF SAME PLACE RA lLWAY-SWITCl-L.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,380, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed February 11, 1887;

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view ofa railway-switch embodying my improve I ments. Fig. 2 is a detailed transverse sectional view of the same, taken on the line a; x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailed enlarged view. Fig. 4 is a detailed transverse sectional view taken on the line g y of Fig. 1.

A represents the main track. B represents the side orswitch track. 0 represents the usual butt-switch rails; and D represents the frograil, forming a part of the side track and bolted at its reduced beveled end to one of the rails ofthe main track,'as shown at Fig. 1.

E represents a switch-rail, which forms a continuation of the rail of the main track to which the frog-rail is bolted, that portion of the said switch-rail which is beyond the junc- 0 tion of the frog-rail being free to move laterally, and thereby adapted to align either with the rail A, forming a part of the main track, or the converging rail B, forming a part of the side track.

F represents a stay-rail, which is arranged in the center of the main track, a portion of the said, rail being rigidly secured to the crossties by means of the usual spikes, G, and the remaining portion of the saidrail correspond- 0 ing to the free portion of the switch-rail E, being connected to the latter by means of boltrods H, and free to move laterally with the said switclrrail. Guards I are secured on the cross ties and arranged upon opposite sides 5 of the switch-rail E and the stay-rail F, so as to limit the play of the said switch and stayrails.

An objection heretofore existing in switches of this character is that the wheels of the train in passing to or from the ends of the switchrails strike against the adjacent ends of the Serial No. 227,306. (No model.)

main-track rail A, or of the side-track rail B, thus exerting a tendency to loosen and dislodge the said rails, and also causing the truck to jolt and jar by reason of the intervening space between-the end of the switch-rail and the rails A and B. To overcome this obj ection I provide the said rails A and B at their converging ends with extensions K and L, respectively, which are bolted to the outer 6o sides of the said rails A and B, and project beyond the ends thereof, as shown, so as to overlap the j oints betweenthem andthe switchrails E. In order to firmly attach the said extensionsto the rails, I cut off the flanges of the latter on their outer sides, so as to reduce them to the width of the heads of the rails. Blocks M are then arranged in the spaces formed between the head and bottom flanges of the rails, the said blocks bearing against the shanks or webs thereof, and the extensions K and L rest against the outer sides of the said box and are firmly secured to the rails A and B by means of bolts M, which ex tend through transverse openings made in the 7 5 shanks or webs of the said rails, the blocks, and the extensions.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be observed that while the wheel of V a railway-car is passing from either the rail A or B to the switch- F0 rail E the tread of the said wheel will bear upon the extension K or.L, and thus the wheel will be prevented from jolting and bumping over the space between the said rails and the switch-rail. The extensions K and 8 L also perform an exceedingly useful function in preventing the free end of the switch-rail from being moved too far in either direction, and thus thrown out of alignment with the main or side track.

0 represents a bell-crank lever, which is fulcrumed on the projecting end of one of the cross-ties, one arm of the said lever being connected to the free end of the switch-rail E and the stay-rail F by means ofa rod, P. 5

R represents a similar bell-crank lever, which is fulcrumed to the projecting end of the crosstie on which the free end of the switch-rails 0 rest, and one arm of this bellcrank lever is connected to the said switch- I00 rails by means of a rod, S.

T represents a connecting operating-rod,

which is arranged parallel with the main track, and on the outer side thereof, and connects the bell-crank levers O and It. The

latter is provided with a vertical operatingrod, T, and a lever, U, and on the upper end of the rod T is the usual target, V, to indicate to the engineer of an approaching train the position of the switch.

The operation of my invention will be very readily understood. When the operating-rod and lever are moved in one direction the switch-rails (l are caused to move into alignment with the said track and the switch-rail E is caused to move into alignment with the side-track rail B, as represented in dotted lines, in Fig. 1. When the said operating-rod and lever are turned in the contrary direction, the switch-rails O are caused to align with the main track and the switch-rail E is caused to align with the maintrack rail A, as indicated in solid lines in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In arailway-switch,the combination ofthe converging rails A and B, the extensions K and L on the outer sides of the said converging rails and projecting beyond the ends thereof,- the block interposed between each rail and its extension, and the frog-rail E, having its free end adapted to play laterally across the converging ends of the rails A and B, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

2. Ina railway-switch, the combination of the converging rails A and 13, having their base-flanges cut away on opposite sides at a v suitable distance from their ends, the extensions fitted snugly against the outer sides of the said rails and projecting beyond the ends thereof, the blocks interposed between the said extensions and the opposing sides of the said rails, the said rails, blocks, and extensions being bolted together, and the frog-rail E, having its free end adapted to play laterally across the ends of the rails A and 13, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination of the converging rails A and B, the extensions K and L on the outer sides of the said converging rails and projecting beyond the free ends thereof, the block interposed between each rail and its extension, the frog-rail E, having its free end adapted to play laterally across the converging ends of the rails A and B, and the-levers connecting the said switch and frog rails and adapted to move the free ends of the same simultaneously in opposite directions, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I haveheretoaflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

j MAHLON A, GEE BER. \Vitnesses: A

Y B. R. SEVERN,

'M. J. GRIFFIN. 

